In Times of Nightmares
by Elle Chemical
Summary: In which Captain Hook is placed under the sleeping curse by Rumplestiltskin after arriving in Storybrooke. However, it is in his nightmares that he encounters Princess Aurora, who is still haunted by the room of fire in her dreams.
1. Chapter 1

Even before Aurora had opened her eyes, she could feel the warmth of the fire she knew to be around her. She had come to expect the netherworld every time she went to sleep since the curse, and she had yet to be treated to anything less.

Aurora had grown to become used to this nightmare of a place, just as it had become accustomed to her. There was a time she tried to build up mental defences in her head, to try and remember what Snow White had told her in the brief time they knew each other, and prevent herself from drifting back into this horrid state of mind.

However, nothing ever seemed to work for Aurora. But it didn't matter much anymore, because over time, the flames seemed to grow bored of her presence. Now they usually left her to herself, they no longer burned or bothered her, and she didn't mind it that way at all.

It had been a while since Emma and Snow travelled back into their realm. It had been a while since she had last seen Henry, Emma's beloved son, too. She figured that with the help of Rumplestiltskin, the Evil Queen, a caring family, and whoever else was present in this Storybrooke world, he had found a way to rid himself of the nightmares. She was happy for him, really. Emma and Snow too. She was glad they were reunited; they were lucky to have people who cared about them as much as they did. She only wished she could have the same for herself too, as selfish or greedy as that was for her to want.

Aurora sighed. There was nothing for her to do but wait until her body had enough rest and woke up naturally, for if she tried to go to sleep in the netherworld, she would wake up in the real world, and that was an endless cycle that never did her any good.

She had nothing but her thoughts to keep her company each night. And although she would never wish the sleeping curse, or its after effects, on anyone, she often found a part of her hoping that someday, someone would turn up to keep her company.

The flames danced around Aurora as usual, sometimes getting just close enough to her skin for her to feel an intense heat, but not so much that it caused a burn. She gracefully seated herself on the ground and stared into the flickering swirls of red and orange, it was almost hypnotising. She had never thought that something so destructive could be so beautiful at the same time. For just a brief moment, she almost felt peaceful.

A loud cry of pain broke her out of the trance. Her eyes quickly darted to the source of the noise; it seemed to be coming from an opposite corner of the room, although her view was mostly obscured by the large expanse of flames in her way. It seemed like the fire had magnified in that certain area to engulf its prey—a dark figure writhing underneath the hungry blaze.

"Stop!" Aurora called out, as if her word would do anything against the fickle mind of such an inferno. She picked up her lavender gown and strode forwards to closer inspect the scene, just as another scream sounded.

From what Aurora could see, the person before her was most likely a grown man. That eliminated the possibility of it being Henry or Snow; the two people she knew for certain could've travelled into the netherworld. Suddenly she remembered how Mulan had told her that while she was kidnapped by Cora, Prince Charming put himself under the sleeping curse to see Snow White. Could this be him, then?

It didn't matter who it was, she told herself, either way she had to help, and she wasted no time in doing so.

Aurora rushed into the flames. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, the adrenaline coursing through her veins numbed her body as she was swallowed up by fire. This was definitely going to leave her with burns in the morning. But to her surprise, the fire started to avoid her, some of it even parting to let her through.

When she reached the man, she bent down and attempted to drag him out of the roaring blazes, only to find that she was unable to make contact with his body.

The flames quickly lost interest in the newcomer, however, and vanished, reappearing in another part of the room and going back to the business of flickering out and then back again to their own contentment. Aurora supposed they were a reasonably safe distance away from the fire—at least for now.

She turned her attention to the injured man and knelt down next to him as he rolled onto his back with a groan. Now was her chance to find out who this stranger was, and when she glanced at his face, she recognised it immediately.

Even though he was almost completely covered with ash and burns, his features were still unmistakable. "Hook?" Aurora exclaimed, her astonishment not in the slightest bit subtle, "_Captain Hook?_"

"The one and only, _your highness_." Hook replied in a weak, raspy voice. Despite his current condition, he still had it in him to joke.

Aurora stood up and backed away a little, unsure of what to do with his presence, "H-how are you here?" She questioned, her shock still evident.

"Well, it's a long story, but it goes something along the lines of: I tried to kill Rumplestiltskin and he put me under a sleeping curse." The pirate explained, trying to push himself up with his elbows, but wincing at the pain his burns caused him.

"You're under a sleeping curse? At this very moment? Then… how are you _here_, in the netherworld?" Aurora voiced her train of thoughts, supplying Hook with even more questions, "_This—" _She gestured at her surroundings,_ "_—is for people who've awoken from the curse."

"That, princess, is as much of a mystery to you as it is to me." He told her with the hint of a smirk tugging at his lips as he managed to prop himself up into a sitting position, using the wall as a support for his back.

Aurora stayed quiet for a while; she needed to collect her thoughts. She seemed to have recovered from the unexpected surprise, however. She kneeled down next to Hook once again, and when he turned to face her she found that she was at a loss for words.

Desperately searching through her mind, the princess uttered the first thing that she could pull out of her head, "I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do for your burns."

Hook chuckled, "I'm a pirate, believe me when I tell you that I've suffered through _much_ worse than a few burns."

Aurora couldn't help but smile a little as she took a seat next to the pirate, leaning against the wall, just as another question begged to be asked, "How do you intend to break the curse?"

Captain Hook wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, but since he literally had nothing better to do than answer the princess's queries, he decided to humour her, "Well, considering the fact that I'm currently lying somewhere in Storybrooke, fast asleep. There's really nothing much _I_ can do about it right now, is there? Although"—and he had only reached the realisation himself—"I'm certain that Smee and the rest of my crew are doing everything in their power to help their captain out."

A small giggle escaped Aurora's lips as an absurd thought that crossed her mind, "You _do_ know how this curse is broken, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I've heard all about this curse, I know how to break it." His tone was slightly defensive; he didn't need a princess mocking him.

"You need true love's kiss… and I hardly doubt you're going to get that from any of your pirate friends." She clarified, in case he was only bluffing about his knowledge. Pirates _were _known to do so.

Captain Hook let out a small humph, "I _know. _But I don't _have_ a true love, now do I?" He paused, then continued with confidence, "That's no problem though, I'm sure there's another way, just like how there was another way to travel between realms."

He seemed so sure of it, as if being under a sleeping curse didn't bother him at all. A thought struck Aurora. It wasn't fair; shouldn't he be plagued with nightmares right now? His deepest regrets? How could he maintain this attitude when he was supposed to be overwhelmed by his greatest fears?

"Don't you… don't you experience the nightmares? You know, the elements that make this a _curse_ rather than a simple sleeping spell."

His arrogance seemed to drip away as the words travelled to his ears. He hadn't expected the princess to become comfortable around him as quickly as she did. Perhaps she was just as desperate for some company in this place as he was. A part of him wanted to treat her to another one of his snarky replies, in fact, he already had one prepared. But a larger part wanted someone he could talk to, someone who would understand and provide him with some sense of solace.

"Of course I do. I see my ship, the Jolly Roger, sinking. I see myself being devoured by those merciless mermaids. I hear the droning siren song. Feel my hand being cut off." He listed, "Worst of all, I see Milah, my—well, my _true love_. I see her dying again, and again, at the hands of the crocodile, Rumplestiltskin. And I'm powerless; unable to do anything about it." His said, his tone sincere, "It's everything that I dreaded happening, and everything I regret. But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you? After all, it was only recently that you finally rid yourself of this horrid curse, wasn't it?"

Aurora nodded slowly in agreement. He had revealed more than she thought he would. It was like he had completely turned her perspective of him around with those few sentences.

"I saw everything that I took this curse to prevent in the first place." She blurted out, "Of course it's gone now, but I still remember it all too clearly. I mean, seeing the same thing over and over for 28 years really burns it into your mind." She didn't know why she had felt compelled to tell him what she went through, perhaps it was because she felt she owed him that much since he had shared his nightmares with her.

Hook smiled like he understood. No, he actually _had _understood, he was living with the very same thing. "I don't know how you could stand this for as long as you did and not go insane. I've only been put under for a few days and I already feel like I'm losing my mind." Aurora could hear the underlying plea for help in his voice. He might've once been tied to a tree for ogres to find, but this was the first time that he seemed truly vulnerable to her.

Without thinking, she reached out towards him. She didn't know why; to offer him comfort or show that she was there for him. But her hand went right through his shoulder. It was as if he wasn't even there, he was merely a projection. Which he was, Aurora reminded herself.

She quickly pulled her hand back. If he noticed the movement, he didn't acknowledge it. They simply sat in each other's company, not making a sound.

Aurora broke the silence, "I'll help you." She told him, "I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll help you break the curse." She finished with certainty. _Nobody deserves this_, Aurora thought to herself, _not even the notorious Captain Hook_.

The pirate seemed taken aback by the sudden offer, "Have you forgotten that we're in completely different realms? We're literally worlds apart. I appreciate the offer, but I honestly don't think there'd be very much you can do for me."

"Have _you_ forgotten that I reside in a land filled with magic?" The princess raised an eyebrow, "Like you said, there could very possibly be another way. I'll try and find it."

Just as she had finished speaking, Aurora's vision began to blur, slowly being overcome by darkness. She knew what was happening; she was waking up.

"Hook? My body—my real body—it's waking up. I have to leave now." Aurora informed him, "I'll see you soon? Tonight, I suppose. That is if you're still here."

"Well I don't believe I'll be going anywhere, anytime soon. I'll be right here." He hesitated, like he was thinking about saying something else, then added, "And thank you, you know, for wanting to help. I, uh, I appreciate it. Really."

She gave him a sympathetic smile, before completely fading from his view. As Hook watched her disappear, he couldn't help wishing that she didn't have to go. To his surprise, he had actually quite enjoyed the princess's company. And as the horrific nightmares surrounded him once more, he tried to keep hold of the mere thought of her. She was the one thing that could perhaps keep him sane.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ah, princess, you've come to grace me with your presence once again." Hook seemed to have reverted back into his usually, snarky self during Aurora's absence. His burns had healed considerably, too.

"It's nice to see you, too." She replied to him with a small curtsy and a mock smile, realising that her words weren't a complete lie. She was quite glad to have someone to keep her company—even if that someone was the infamous Captain Hook.

"So, made any progress on finding a way to lift my curse?" He questioned, a small flicker of hope glinting in his eyes, despite his attempt at nonchalance.

"I'm afraid not." She told him apologetically, and then added, "Not as of _yet_, anyways. But I'm positive we'll get there."

"Well, I won't underestimate you, princess." He said, for a split second seeming to become more sincere.

"Captain, can I ask you something?" Aurora piped up.

"Yes, _princess_."

"I had believed that the sleeping curse must be taken willingly. So—" She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "How did Rumplestilskin manage to convince you to take it?"

"Oh," Hook looked to his feet, contemplating his response before speaking again, "It was quite simple really." He began to explain, "He stuck his hand into my chest and gave me two choices, to have my heart pulled out and crushed _or_ to be put under the sleeping curse. I decided that I'd rather have the possibility of miraculously being awoken one day than being dead and gone for good. Call it being impulsive, but I prefer not die. Although never had I imagined that sleeping could be this bad."

Aurora nodded subconsciously in agreement, she was quite sure that if she hadn't had a firsthand experience of the curse, she'd have chosen sleeping over death as well.

Over time, the unlikely pair seemed to fall into a routine; every night, Aurora would show up, and Hook would be right there, waiting. They quickly grew to be at ease in each other's presence. So much in fact, that even during the day, Aurora often found herself looking forward to Hook's company.

Most of the time they spent talking, after all, there really wasn't very much else for them to do. He told her of the adventures he had on his ship, and in exchange she lent him a listening ear. Each time he told her a story, it seemed as if he was living it all over again, she could almost see the reflection of his old life on his face. She could tell it helped him keep his mind off the horrible nightmares too, and she was glad for that, for she knew they were troubling him more than he'd admit.

Hook had just recounted an incident with the sirens, where he lost nearly half of his crew, when he looked over at the princess, who seemed completely captivated by his tale. "Tell me about your sleeping curse." He prompted her, "The good part, I mean, the waking up part. What was it like? If I recall, you woke up because—"

"Phillip." Aurora cut in, "Phillip woke me up."

"Yes, your prince." Hook sighed, "Well, I don't suppose I have a princess waiting for me somewhere, now do I?"

"You never know," Aurora shrugged, "After all, I don't suppose you expected to see me here. Stranger things have happened, Hook, it really wouldn't be so much of a miracle."

"No, perhaps not." He murmured.

"And after all, there are quite a few former princesses residing in Storybrooke. Or so I've heard, anyways." She added jokingly, hoping to raise his spirits.

In response to her words, Aurora received a knowing smile from Hook, "It's unfortunate that the only one who can help me is stuck in another realm."

Aurora laughed, and then turned to him, her tone now serious and asked, "You really believe I can find a way?" Because even though she'd never burden him with the doubt, there were times when she honestly wasn't sure of whether she could do it herself.

"Well, you survived thirty years of this curse with your mentality intact; I believe there isn't much you _can't_ do." He told her as she blushed at his compliment.

Soon, Hook realised that he was close to having told all the stories he had to tell the princess, to the point where Aurora could recount from memory most of his lengthy 300 years of life. Fortunately, Aurora discovered a new source of entertainment. She found that she could control the blazing fire surrounding them. It was only small parts of it or only single flames at first, but after time, she managed to move whole expanses with only her mind. The one thing that had once been her worst fear was now completely under her command; she could bend and twist the movements of the flames at will. Aurora wasn't quite sure what could have caused this, but Hook was happy to provide his insight.

"I think you can control your dreams." He said, "Lucid dreaming, have you ever heard of that? I think… if you wanted to, you could be gone from this place. You could have sweet, happy dreams about being back with your prince, ruling a new, flourishing kingdom. Yet you keep coming back here. Why is that?"

Aurora shrugged absentmindedly; she never gave it much of a second thought, really. She just fell asleep, and Hook was there. She wondered now if what he said was true. Perhaps, if she tried, she could block out the netherworld like Snow did, but the thought brought her to a realisation. She didn't _want_ to try. She knew then that she did have an answer to Hook's question, "Because I know what it's like to be all alone in this place, Hook. Because… of _you_." She looked up at him, just as he looked away, unsure of how to respond.

It didn't take long before they slipped back into their usual ways, the recent conversation forgotten, and Hook was telling Aurora of another thrilling tale of life as a pirate. This one Aurora had already heard before, but she still listened intently as he spoke. To her, he seemed like the physical embodiment of a vast, treacherous ocean. His deep voice reminded her of the rumbling roar of waves she used to hear from her tower in the castle she once lived in. She wished she had some exciting experiences to share with him too, but the most eventful time of her life was when Emma and Snow came to her realm, and he was there for the majority of that. There were also large parts of it that she would rather _not_ relive, anyways.

"I don't think I've ever properly been to the ocean." Aurora told the pirate as his story came to an end.

He chuckled at her confession, "Well, you really don't know what you're missing out on."

"After everything you've told me? I think I do."

An idea struck the pirate and he turned to the princess, "I'll tell you what, if I get out of this, the first thing I'll do is take you for a ride on my ship. I owe you as much anyways."

"Owe me? For what?" Aurora cocked her head in curiosity.

"For willingly coming back into this nightmare every night, of course." He said with what looked like a genuinely grateful smile. It seemed Aurora's previous confession wasn't lost on him, after all.

On this particular night, Aurora found herself craving the blissful rest that came with falling asleep. She had travelled far with Mulan to find a woman who claimed to be a skilled sorceress, capable of transcending realms, only to come to the realisation that she was just another fraud.

She had set herself down next to Hook, who was, once again, patiently awaiting her company and was now in the middle of orchestrating the flames into a re-enactment of one of Hook's many tales, with great ease.

"Sometimes I think you might just be a dream, a figment of this sleeping curse. But then I realise this nightmare couldn't possibly grant me with something so great." Hook admitted to Aurora, as they sat beside each other, staring into the flames.

His words broke her concentration on the fire, and it quickly reverted back to its regular act of mindless flickering, although neither of them seemed to notice as they turned to look each other in the eyes. She wished more than anything at that moment to be able to touch him; for him to be tangible, something she was sure wasn't a dream of her own.

"It goes away, you know." He muttered, looking away from her gaze.

"What?" Aurora asked, not quite sure what exactly the pirate was on about.

"All the horrors, the nightmares. Whenever you're here, and I'm with you, it all goes away." He confessed. Aurora smiled, she was glad that she's doing some good, since her efforts to get to Storybrooke were currently looking to be fruitless in her waking hours.

It had been many days since Aurora first encountered Hook in the netherworld, and sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if her being with him had made any impact on him, possibly changing him from the ruthless villain bent on revenge she knew him to be in reality. He _seemed_ to be different, but she had trusted him too easily once, and it was a mistake she didn't want to make again. She voiced the thought to him, "If I manage to wake you up… Would you still want to kill Rumplestiltskin?"

"Of course." He replied without hesitation.

"But it's not worth it." Aurora shot back just as quickly. She didn't know what she had expected him to say, she didn't even realise until now that she had held him in much too high a standard.

"I think it is." Hook countered, showing no sign of having ever considered any other option.

"It's not, believe me, I know how you feel. I once sought revenge so badly that I was willing to kill for it. It was fortunate that Mulan was there to remind me vengeance _isn't_ justice. Now I want to be there for you, I don't want you to make the mistake that I nearly did."

He chuckled, obviously not seeing the truth in what Aurora was saying, "It won't be a mistake. It'll be what I've been planning for my whole life. It's something that I'll do anything to see accomplished, and don't you try to convince me otherwise."

Aurora couldn't believe that Hook still hadn't managed to shake off his thirst for revenge. A part of her had thought that maybe he'd have a change of heart, if not because of her, then due to the time he'd spent under the curse. Well, that would be _her_ mistake. "What if he puts under a sleeping curse again? Or worse, what he isn't so generous the second time and decides to kill you and be done with it?"

"I'd be happy to die if it means that the world will be rid of Rumplestiltskin. If he's dead, then it'll all be worth it." It had become apparent to Aurora that his judgement was so clouded, he may just have just lost all ability to see sense when it came to his revenge.

"Not to me." She murmured, half hoping that he wouldn't hear the statement as her mouth involuntarily spoke the words.

However, Hook managed to not only make out what she had said, but appear to be almost genuinely amused. "Sure, as if a princess of your standards would care for a worthless criminal like me?"

"Of course I care!" Aurora exclaimed, taken aback by his harshness, "Why do you think I told you I'd help break the curse if I _didn't_?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe you were bored being alone all the time? Maybe you just wanted to give me a reason to keep you company?" He spat, his tone spiteful. Aurora knew he didn't believe his own supposings, at least not completely anyways, but that didn't change the fact that what he said still angered her.

"Maybe you're right, you're just a worthless criminal and that's as much as you'll _ever_ be! You're never going to change; I was a fool for thinking otherwise." She nearly regretted snapping at him, but he quickly took away any doubt she had for being unkind.

"Yes, perhaps you're just too naïve, _princess_. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to trust someone like me?" He finished with a cynical laugh. As he looked into her eyes, he noticed that they reflected the fire perfectly, it was as if flames had ignited in them, which was quite an accurate portrayal of the fury she was currently feeling.

"I guess that means you don't need to be here for much longer then, do you?" Her voice was a false calm, contradicted by the roaring blaze that had started to grow behind her. "I think if I wanted to, I could make you go away. You said it yourself, I can control my dreams, can't I?" She taunted the man, whose scornful gaze started to falter, "And also, I'm no longer a princess, so you can stop referring to me as such."

"No! Princess—_Aurora,_" Hook corrected himself as all his contempt seemed to instantly transform into sincerity, "Please, you can't send me back to those nightmares. You know how bad it is. _Please_, _don't_."

"Yes, I do know exactly how bad it is. But I spent more years of my life asleep than I did living, and I came out fine. I think you'll be quite alright." She knew a large part of what she was doing was out of spite. She had foolishly assumed that after all the time they'd spent together, she might've been able to convince the pirate of _something_, that he'd listen at least. The fact that her opinions still meant less than nothing to him only further convinced her to go through with what she wanted to do. She closed her eyes and imagined him gone. When his protests faded away, she looked to where he had stood only moments ago, and just as she had predicted, he was no longer present. The space he occupied only moments ago was replaced by the pesky flames, which almost seemed to be mocking Aurora, reminding her that once again, she was completely, and utterly, _alone_.


End file.
